Golf swing training device



Sept. 24, 1963 J. PROFERA 3,104,380

GOLF SWING TRAINING DEVICE Filed May 25, 1961 Joseph Pro/era INVENTOR.

United States Patent 3,104,880 GOLF SWING TING DEVICE Joseph Profera, 817 McIntosh St, West Palm Beach, Fla. Filed May 25, 1961, Ser. No. 112,579 Claims. (Cl. 273-490) The present invention generally relates to 'a device for use by golfers and is especially useful in practicing the proper swing of the golf club. This application represents novel improvements over that structure disclosed in co-pending application Serial No. 53,751, filed September 2, 1960, now abandoned, for Golf Swing Training Device.

One of the more important factors in successfully playing golf is the proper characteristics :of movement of the golf club during the swing thereof. Most golfers have some undesirable habits or characteristics which cause an improper swing. While golfers normally spend many hours practicing their swing, in order for such practice to be effective, it is necessary that a training aid or guide be provided. There have been provided many devices endeavoring to aid in overcoming bad golfing habits and such devices have been successful to a certain degree for correcting certain characteristics It is the primary object of the present invention to provide a device for retaining the head of the golfer in proper position during the complete swing of the golf club thus assuring that the person using the training device will retain his head in proper position during the back swing and completely through to the follow through thus assuring that the golf club will be swung properly throughout the complete stroke.

Most all golf players swing their head slightly to the right on the back swing and then their head should come to a. standstill position at the point or in alignment with the point of impact of the golf club head with the ball. Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a training device which will enable a golfer to move his head slightly to the right during the back swing but still will stop and retain his head in a standstill position in general alignment with the point of impact between the golf club head and the golf ball.

Thus, with the present invention, the golfer employing the training device of the present invention will engage his head therewith and maintain his head in contact therewith during the complete stroke and due to the particular construction of the device, the golfer may move his head slightly to the right during the back swing and then return it to a standstill position in overlying relation to the point of impact between the golf ball and club head.

Still another object of the present invention resides in its simplicity of construction, ease of use, elfectiveness for its particular purposes and its generally inexpensive manufacturing cost.

These together with other objects and advantages which will become subsequently apparent reside in the details of construction and operation as more fully hereinafter described and claimed, reference being had to the accompanying drawings forming a part hereof, wherein like numerals refer to like parts throughout, and in which:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of the golf training device of the present invention illustrating the position of a player employing the device;

FIGURE 2 is a longitudinal plan view of the supporting arm with portions thereof broken away illustrating the construction of the invention;

FIGURE 3 is a transverse, sectional view taken substantially upon a plane passing along section line 33 of FIGURE 1 illustrating the details of construction of the invention; 1

FIGURE 4 is a detailed sectional view taken substantially upon a plane passing along section line 44 of ice .be square or rectangular in crosssectional configuration.

The lower end of the standard '12 is attached to the base assembly 14 which includes a central upstanding or upright member 18 having an aperture 20 therethrough by virtue of which the standard 12 may be attached thereto by a suitable removable fastener such as a bolt, rivet or the like. Attached to the lower end of the member 18 is a spider 22 which includes radially extending arms 24. The spider 22 is attached to the member 18 as by welding 26 or the like. Also, each arm 24 is provided with an opening 28 extending therethrough for receiving retaining bolts or rivets which secure elongated tubular arms or sleeves 3t) thereto which are disposed in radial relation to the upstanding member 18. A base plate 32 is attached to the undersurface of the arms 24 as by welding 34 or the like for purposes of rigidly securing the components of the base assembly together. Each of the arms or sleeves 30 is provided with a depending pointed spike 36 rigidly attached to the sleeve 30 by any suitable ,means such as welding or the like and the spike 36 is disposed in penetrating relation to the ground 38 thus securely retaining the base assembly 14 in position but enabling the base assembly to be lifted up for movement of the training device to another area when desired.

Adjacent the center of the standard 12, the standard is provided with a longitudinally elongated slot 40' in opposite sides thereof and a clamp bolt 42 extends through apertures 44 therein. The bolt 42 extends through a longitudinal slot 46 in an elongated brace 48 which extends angularly through the slots 40. One end of the bolt 42 is provided with a Wing nut 50 and the other end thereof is provided with a T-head 52 having inwardly extending edge flanges 54 which are engaged with and around the corners of the standard 12 as illus trated in FIGURE 3. This will prevent rotation of the bolt 42 in relation to the standard 12 thus enabling the Wing nut 51} to be tightened and loosened. Disposed beneath the wing nut 50 is a plurality of washers 56 and 58 which serve to transmit clamping force from the wing nut 50 to the opposed surfaces of the tubular standard 12 whereby the sides of the slots 41 may be collapsed into clamping engagement with the surfaces of the brace 48.

The upper end of the standard 12 is provided with slots 60 which receive the arm assembly 16. The arm assembly 16 includes a first or slotted arm member 62 hav- 'ing an elongated slot 64 therein which is pivotally and slidably engaged with a fastening bolt extending through the standard 12 similar to the bolt 42 and provided with a T-head 66 similar to the T-head 52 in conjunction with the bolt 42. Thus, the arm assembly 16 may be adjustably secured to the standard 12 with the arm assembly in longitudinally and angularly adjusted position.

or head engaging arm 72. The pivotal connection is made between the second arm 72 and the first arm 62 by a hinge member 74 having the mounting straps 76 and 78 attached to the first and second arms 62 and 72 respectively as illustrated in FIGURE 2. Attached to the first arm 62 and disposed on the opposite surface thereof in relation to the hinge 74 is an elongated strap 80 which is substantially rigid but capable of some deflection. The strap 30 is sufiicient to generally maintain the head of a golfer in place. The strap 80 is elongated and extends outwardly alongside the surface of the arm 72 for a considerable distance and beyond the hinge strap 78 and against the opposite surface of the second arm 72. A fastening bolt 82 extends through the end of the strap 80, through the second arm 72 and terminates in an abutment washer 84 and retaining nut 86 which captures a compression coil spring 88 between the washer 84 and the second arm 72. The bolt 82 extends through apertures 90 which enables some limited degree of angular displacement of the arm 72 in relation to the fastening bolt 82. Also, the spring 88 serves to return the arm 72 against the surface of the elongated strap 80. Thus, if the arm 72 is deflected away from the strap 80, the spring 88 will be compressed and will normally urge the arm 72 back to a position against the strap 80 and the strap 80 will prevent the arm from passing beyond this position although it may have a slight degree of flexibility.

Attached to the outer end of the second arm 72 is a head engaging member generally designated by numeral 92 and the head engaging member is pivotally attached to the second arm 72 by a pivot pin 94. The pivot bolt or pin 94 extends through a pair of lugs 96 on the end of the second arm 72 and also through a lug 98 rigidly affixed to the central portion of the head engaging member 92.

The head engaging member 92 includes a shell 100 which is arcuate and generally hemispherical for conforming with and engaging the upper portion of the head 102 of a golfer 104. The inner surface of the shell 100 is lined with a cushioning material 106 which may be in the form of sponge rubber, sponge plastic or any other suitable material capable of cushioning the engagement of the head 102 and the shell 100 and also rendering the device more comfortable in use.

The arms 62 and 72 are preferably constructed of hollow tubular material rendering the device relatively inexpensive to manufacture and relatively light in weight thus enabling the device to be easily carried to the desired area of use.

During the back swing, a right handed golfer will normally swing his head slightly to the right since his shoulders tend to move to the right during a back swing. Then when the forward swing or stroke is started, the head will move forwardly and the present device will bring the head to a standstill generally in direct alignment over the point of impact between the golf ball and the golf club head. The spring 88 enables limited movement of the head engaging member 92 whereas the strap 80 will substantially stop the second arm 72 for retaining it in alignment with the first arm 62. Thus, by properly positioning a ball in relation to the arm assemblies 16 and properly using the device of the present invention, the proper techniques to be employed in a complete golf swing may be properly practiced so that the head movement will be properly guided and orientated so that a golfer may practice while being assured that his head is in the right position. The adjustments of the slots and bolts enable the vertical and horizontal position of the head engaging member to be varied thus enabling the device to be used by golfers of different heights and also enabling the golfer to be positioned sufiiciently remote from the standard 12 and the supporting arms or sleeves 30 to enable him to strike the golf ball with the golf club head without interference from the training device.

The foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the invention. Further, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope-of the invention as claimed.

What is claimed as new is as follows:

1. A golf training device comprising an upright rigid standard, an elongated arm mounted on the standard adjacent the upper end thereof and extending laterally therefrom and substantially perpendicular thereto, means adjustably connecting the elongated arm to the standard, said arm including a first section and a second section coaxial therewith and comprising an extension thereof, pivot means hingedly connecting the sections together, and means limiting the pivotal movement of the second section in relation to the first section of the arm to only one side of said perpendicular position with respect to the standard, the path of said pivotal movement being in a substantially horizontal plane parallel to said first and second sections, and means on the outer end of the second section for engaging the head of a golfer whereby said device maintains the head in proper posi-- tion during the complete golf swing by permitting limited movement of the head toward one side of a golfer during the back swing but brings the head to a standstill directly over the point of impact of the golf club head and ball.

2. The structure as defined in claim 1 wherein said means for securing the arm to the standard includes a brace interconnecting the standard and said first section of the arm, said brace and the first section of the arm being slidably and pivotally attached to the standard by means of an adjusting bolt extending through aligned slots in both the lower end of the brace and the standard, said lower end of the brace being inserted through the slot in the standard so as to align the brace slot therewith.

3. The structure as defined in claim 1 wherein said standard is provided with a base member, said base member having a plurality of radially extending arms thereon, each arm having an elongated sleeve attached thereto with the sleeves radiating horizontally from the standard, each sleeve having a depending pointed member for penetration of the ground surface thereby securing the device in position.

4. The structure as defined in claim 1 wherein said head engaging means is substantially hemispherical in configuration, and a cushioning layer on the inner surface of the hemispherical member thus cushioning en' gagement with the head.

5. A golf training device comprising an upright rigid standard, an elongated arm mounted on the standard adjacent the upper end thereof and extending laterally therefrom, means adjustably connecting the elongated arm to the standard, said arm including a first section and a second section, pivot means hingedly connecting the sections together, and means limiting the pivotal movement of the second section in relation to the first section of the arm whereby the pivotal movement of the second section is substantially in one horizontal direction in relation to the first section, and means on the outer end of the second section for engaging the head of a golfer for maintaining the head in proper position during the complete golf swing and permitting limited movement of the head towards the right side of a golfer during'the back swing but bringing the head to a standstill directly over the point of impact of the golf club head and ball, said means hingedly connecting the second section of the arm to the first section including a hinge member having a vertical hinge axis and having the mounting straps thereof attached to the side surfaces of the sections thus en abling the second section to swing in one direction in a horizontal plane, a strap attached to the first section and extending alongside of the second section adjacent the hinge and on the opposite side surface thereof, a fastening bolt attached to the strap and extending through the second section, a spring attached to said bolt at the outer end thereof and having the inner end abutting the second section inwardly of the end of the bolt thereby enabling the second section to move in relation to the first section by compressing the spring.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Olcott July 26, 1927 Denecke Nov. 11, 1930 Nelson et a1 June 12, 1934 Botts Aug. 19, 194-1 Hara Sept. 23, 1952 Hara July 17, 1956 

1. A GOLF TRAINING DEVICE COMPRISING AN UPRIGHT RIGID STANDARD, AN ELONGATED ARM MOUNTED ON THE STANDARD ADJACENT THE UPPER END THEREOF AND EXTENDING LATERALLY THEREFROM AND SUBSTANTIALLY PERPENDICULAR THERETO, MEANS ADJUSTABLY CONNECTING THE ELONGATED ARM TO THE STANDARD, SAID ARM INCLUDING A FIRST SECTION AND A SECOND SECTION COAXIAL THEREWITH AND COMPRISING AN EXTENSION THEREOF, PIVOT MEANS HINGEDLY CONNECTING THE SECTIONS TOGETHER, AND MEANS LIMITING THE PIVOTAL MOVEMENT OF THE SECOND SECTION IN RELATION TO THE FIRST SECTION OF THE ARM TO ONLY ONE SIDE OF SAID PERPENDICULAR POSITION WITH RESPECT TO THE STANDARD, THE PATH OF SAID PIVOTAL MOVEMENT BEING IN A SUBSTANTIALLY HORIZONTAL PLANE PARALLEL TO SAID FIRST AND SECOND SECTIONS, AND MEANS ON THE OUTER END OF THE SECOND SECTION FOR ENGAGING THE HEAD OF A GOLFER WHEREBY SAID DEVICE MAINTAINS THE HEAD IN PROPER POSITION DURING THE COMPLETE GOLF SWING BY PERMITTING LIMITED MOVEMENT OF THE HEAD TOWARD ONE SIDE OF A GOLFER DURING THE BACK SWING BUT BRINGS THE HEAD TO A STANDSTILL DIRECTLY OVER THE POINT OF IMPACT OF THE GOLF CLUB HEAD AND BALL. 